Jang Hana's 7-Stroke Victory "I Like the Tough Course~"... Park Hyunkyung in 2nd Place

'The Fourth Major' KB Financial Star Championship Final Day 1-Under Par, Park Minji Leads Tied 4th "Breaking Single Season Earnings Record"

Jang Hana is cheering at the moment her victory is confirmed on the final day of the KB Financial Star Championship. Photo by KLPGA

[Asia Economy Golf Specialist Reporter Kim Hyun-jun] ‘Wire to Wire’.

It is Jang Ha-na’s (29, BC Card) ‘perfect victory’. On the final day of the fourth major of the 2021 KLPGA Tour season, the KB Financial Star Championship (total prize money 1.2 billion KRW) held on the 12th at Blackstone Golf Club in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province (par 72, 6,689 yards), she shot 1-under par to achieve a huge 7-stroke victory (10-under par 278). This is her second win of the season and 15th career victory, three months after the Lotte Open in June, and with the winner’s prize of 216 million KRW, she moved up to second place in the prize money rankings (752 million KRW).

The news is that Jang Ha-na made under-par scores throughout the four days on a tough course. In this tournament, only six players made under-par scores in both the 3rd and 4th rounds, making it a thorny path. She took a 5-stroke lead with a 3-under par daily best on the previous day, crossing the ‘90% mark’, and on this day, she added one more stroke with three birdies and two bogeys. She demonstrated power with a maximum drive of 289.60 yards, a green hit rate of 72.22%, ‘needle-like iron shots’, and complemented it with 30 ‘stingy putts’.

Jang Hana is holding the trophy and posing for a commemorative photo immediately after winning the KB Financial Star Championship. Photo by KLPGA

Jang Ha-na’s 15 wins are the most among active players. The late Ku Ok-hee, former president of the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association, and Shin Ji-ae (33), currently active in Japan, have 20 wins, Go Woo-soon (57) has 17 wins, ranking fourth overall in total wins. She confidently said, "I focused on keeping the fairway as much as possible," and "I am one step closer to my goal of 20 wins." She added, "Winning again on the stage of my first professional victory feels like a fresh start," and "Above all, it is important to have a long career without injuries."

For Jang Ha-na, the significance is greater as she won on a major stage where defending champion Kim Hyo-joo (26, Lotte), Jeon In-ji (27), Park In-bi (33, all KB Financial Group), and other ‘LPGA Tour troops’ participated in large numbers. Park Hyun-kyung (20, Korea Land & Housing Trust) moved up to second place (3-under par 285) by adding 1-under par. She was powered by a ‘shot eagle’ from 110 yards at the 11th hole (par 4). Lee Jung-min (29) was third (2-under par 286), and ‘6-win champ’ Park Min-ji (23, NH Investment & Securities) tied for fourth (1-under par 287).

Park Min-ji notably added 54 million KRW to set a new record for the highest single-season prize money on the KLPGA Tour (1.3333 billion KRW). She broke Park Sung-hyun’s (28) 2016 record (1.3331 billion KRW). Choi Hye-jin (22, Lotte) joined the tie for fourth place. Kim Hyo-joo dropped to sixth place (even par 288) after four bogeys without any birdies. Jeon In-ji tied for 10th place (4-over par 292), and ‘Golf Queen’ Park In-bi finished tied for 32nd place (10-over par 298).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.